I’ve spent the last 15 years in the tech startup community including several early stage ventures with successful exits in the healthcare space. I'm also a Top Writer on Quora (2012 and 2013) for several healthcare specific topics. I'm likely to include film references and quotes as in "All of life's riddles are answered in the movies." Twitter handle is: @danmunro

Before banks introduced automated systems, personal bankers helped their wealthier clients navigate the complex terrain of a massive paper-based financial system. With the introduction of online banking, however, the role of the personal banker was diminished. Customers assumed control of their day-to-day banking needs and were soon able to self-manage their accounts online from anywhere in the world.

Just as in banking, most industries have adopted technologies that personalize the customer experience and optimize labor costs. But, this has not been the case in the healthcare industry, where there is a misconception that personalized care must be delivered in person. Yet, Accenture’s recent survey of 1,100 U.S. patients shows that most patients (90 percent) would prefer to use the Internet, mobile devices and e-mail to self-manage their own healthcare information and services, such as refilling prescriptions and booking appointments.

Whether they obtain their care in person or remotely, patients receive “personalized care” as long as their personal health information and services can be self-managed, individually tailored for them and transparent.

Everyone today seems to want access to information anytime, anywhere. Laptops, cell phones and other mobile devices have become as much a part of our culture as television. As the Internet and mobile technology become ever more ubiquitous in the American culture, it’s reasonable to expect that these technologies should play an integral role in our ability to obtain personalized healthcare.

This is borne out by our survey, which shows that the majority of patients want to take advantage of self-service healthcare options through email or mobile phones. The survey also shows that the Internet is overwhelmingly the preferred channel for accessing medical information to help manage their health. Our research found that 83 percent of patients want to access personal medical information from the Web and 72 percent want to be able to book, change or cancel appointments and request prescription refills online.

This is where personal interaction meets technology and where patients can tailor personalized care to suit their own needs.

Individually Tailored: Patients Want More Options

Patients want more entry points into the healthcare system as well as the ability to select various options to address their specific needs. Of the patients we surveyed, nearly all want both online access to the healthcare system (90 percent) and the option of in-person office visits (85 percent). It’s not an either/or scenario. Patients want more options, so they can make their own choices.

For instance, rather than making an appointment with the family pediatrician, a parent may prefer to visit a retail clinic to have a clinician diagnose and treat a child’s ear infection. However, while an exam at a retail clinic may provide a convenient, timely resolution to an immediate issue, regular pediatric care should not be discontinued for other healthcare situations.

While many patients in our survey indicated that they still prefer to meet in person with their physician, visits to the doctor’s office do not necessarily produce better outcomes than virtual office visits. For example, studies have found that when it comes to patient compliance for treatment of such conditions as heart failure, medical professionals have had better success in obtaining accurate information from patients through interactive, automated phone calls (Piette 2002). This was especially true when patients had not followed their diet or taken their medications as prescribed.

Other research has shown that patients prefer one-on-one interactions with their healthcare provider, but not necessarily in person. Rather, they prefer virtual examinations that take place through telemedicine technology, similar to video conferencing technology, or technology that utilizes remote diagnostic equipment, such as an electronic stethoscope. The research shows that patients reported being satisfied with the experience and willing to recommend the technology to a friend (Heaney 2009). Some actually preferred virtual exams to in-person visits because they felt the physician was more engaged in the visit. Typically, they also were able to see and hear more virtually than they normally would in an office visit.

But what’s the point of all this technology – online self-service, telemedicine, etc. – if patients are unaware that they are available?

Transparency

We all know how valuable each minute of a doctor’s visit can be. Vitals must be checked, questions must be answered and copious notes must be taken – sometimes all within a five-minute timeframe. However, nearly half the patients in our survey were not aware if their records were available to them electronically.

It’s clear that patients want greater transparency when it comes to accessing their medical records. However, while 83 percent of the patients surveyed want online access to their health records, patients are split as to whether they or their doctors should manage those records.

Increasingly, health systems recognize that there is a growing demand for transparent health information. Boston-based Partners Healthcare, for example, created the “Open Records Initiative” which provides patients with anytime access to their health records – the same records their doctors are using. There is no filter or lag time, and patients are able to access – in real time – information entered into their record by the doctor. Although some physicians may cringe at the suggestion of “open records,” transparent health information has many potential benefits. It can help reduce costs, drive efficiency and empower patients to take an active role in their healthcare. In an era in which healthcare systems are seeking to make the delivery of services more cost-effective and efficient, embracing advancements in technology may be the answer.

Electronic health is the future of healthcare. We can and should make personal interactions more effective by educating patients and ultimately, driving greater adoption of self-service channels.

Currently, the emphasis on patient experience in healthcare focuses on the customization of visual environments, such as the hospital interior, but it does not personalize the process of care delivery for patients. Making patient care more accessible, transparent and tailored to the individual, however, is more important than the furniture in the room or the art on the walls.

Patients want care that is both clinically correct and personal. They assume doctors have made all the right clinical decisions for safe and effective care. That is a minimum. But patients also want to play a bigger role in their own healthcare, and they and their doctors have an opportunity to make that happen today with the help of technology.

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Great article and research Kaveh. If we provide patients with the right tools they will use them to manage their care and communicate with their healthcare providers. However these tools need to be designed to develop a collaboration between patients and their providers, not to drive a wedge between them. The recent article in Forbes by David Shaywitz on the need for tools designed to engage clinicians rather than alienate them is on target. We need to recognize that healthcare delivery is an ecosystem comprising patients providers and community, and with the right tools we can facilitate their interactions, make them more efficient and effective, and lead to better outcomes. Those of us old enough to remember the old days of banking appreciate the convenience of online banking, and much of the logistics of healthcare can also benefit from that innovation. There will always be a need for some face to face interaction, but in a continuing management program, it can be supplemented by technology.

It would be interesting to note the ages of the folks in the above survey. The banking analolgy is quite interesting but I believe falls short when comparing banking to patient records. First, folks have a choice to use electronic banking or they can choose to bank is person. Patients must be given the opportunity to either opt in or opt out of any data sharing regarding their health information. Health information has become entirely too much of a commodity. Secondly, specific personal banking information is not used for data mining, shared with marketing, or research outside of a particualar banking system without express permission of the bank patron as is currently being done with digitized health information. Patients must be given the choice with clear and easy to understand direction on opting out of any and all electronic health data exchange without persmission.